The Peril the Wind Sings To
by Enthusiastic Fish
Summary: Tim sees a spark, and that's definitely not a good thing. Lengthy oneshot.


**A/N:** This is a oneshot that sprang out of a single idea and then meanders to a conclusion. I don't know that I would call it my best, but I did enjoy writing it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own NCIS, nor do I make money off my writing. Alas.

* * *

**The Peril the Wind Sings To  
**by Enthusiastic Fish

_"Electricity, the peril the wind sings to in the wires on a gray day. . ."_  
_Janet Frame_

Tim tried to relax as he drove. It was the stereotypical dark and stormy night and he couldn't see much. Gibbs had told him to meet up with the rest of the team in the small town near their crime scene in West Virginia. The rain was pouring down and the wind was whipping the trees around.

And Tim didn't like it one little bit.

He had already pulled over once and tried to call Gibbs, but he hadn't been able to get through. So he'd left a message saying that he'd be late because of the bad weather and continued on his way.

Dark, rainy, windy.

"I don't like this," Tim muttered.

He turned off the radio so that he wasn't distracted and could focus more on the road.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

The first sign he had that there was a problem was a flash to the side of him. He started to slow down even more...but then, a big dark thing swung out of nowhere, smashed down on the front of his car and a bright light flashed again...and then, he wasn't seeing anything because his airbag deployed and hit him in the face. Lights flashed in his vision and he was dazed for a moment. As the airbag deflated, Tim tried to see out the windshield...or rather, out the opening where the windshield had been before. He now had shattered glass all over his lap and pretty much everywhere in the front seat. His heart was pounding and he tried to calm down before he decided what to do next.

The airbag was finally devoid of air and Tim breathed heavily. From what he could see, it looked like a tree had fallen on his car.

"No way am I getting that off," he said softly.

He started to reach out to open the door and then froze.

He saw a small spark on the hood of his car.

A spark.

He squinted to see through the dark and rain.

It was a spark.

From a power line.

There was a power line on his car.

A live power line.

"Oh, no."

Quickly, he pulled his hand away from the door and felt his heart start to pound again. His hands were shaking, too, at the close call he'd just had. If he had tried to get out... He remembered all the safety guidelines dealing with power lines. First and foremost, if you were in a car with a live power line on it, don't get out of the car, you'd be likely to electrocute yourself. He was stuck in here until the power was turned off or until someone pulled the wire off his car. If he touched the metal of the car and touched the ground, he'd be the perfect conduit from the metal of the car to the ground.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down again. This wasn't the end of the world. As long as he stayed away from the metal in the car and didn't try to get out, he'd be fine. He hadn't been injured when the...tree? ...power pole? ...or whatever it was had fallen on his car. He might have black eyes from the airbag, but that was more than okay with him if that was all that happened. He'd take that over being electrocuted.

Still, it took more than a few minutes for him to calm down enough to think about something _other_ than the fact that he'd almost electrocuted himself...and that he'd narrowly avoided being smashed by some long pole or tree trunk.

"Okay. Okay. This isn't going to be the end of it. It's okay. You're going to be fine. You just need to calm down. Don't touch anything metal. Just stay where you are and you'll be okay. Right? Right. Okay."

There was one other issue that paled in the face of everything else. With no windshield, he was getting wet. Of course, that would make him a better conductor, too. All the more important to avoid touching anything metal.

"Okay. What's next?"

Tim was trying not to let himself freak out. Talking out loud helped...somewhat.

"Call for help. That's what I need to do."

Carefully, he slid his hand down to his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. So far as he knew, it would be okay to use it.

He pushed a few buttons and then, realized, almost belatedly, that he was trying to call Gibbs to tell him that he'd be late getting there, not 911 as he probably should. ...but he didn't hang up.

"_Gibbs."_

He could hear Tony and Ziva talking in the background. Their voices made him smile a little.

"Boss?"

"_What is it, McGee? Why aren't you here yet?"_

"Well...I'm...kind of...stuck in my car, Boss," Tim said, trying not to sound as shaky as he felt.

"_What do you mean?"_

The chatting stopped rather abruptly. Gibbs had quieted them down.

"Something, a tree or something, fell on my car...and brought down a power line with it." Now, Tim _knew_ his voice was shaking. "Uh...the power line is live. I can't get out of my car. I'm not really in a position to go anywhere." He forced a laugh. "So I won't make it there. You'll have to wait."

"_Where are you?"_

"You mean besides in my car?" Tim asked.

"_Yes."_

"Somewhere between DC and you guys."

"_McGee."_

Tim tried to throw of his lingering shock. "I'm really not sure. I'm off the main road and on the county road. It's in the trees and I couldn't see anything besides the road. I was going slow because of the storm. I'm really not sure how far I'd got. I probably should have called 911, first, right?"

"_Did you get hurt, McGee? Hit your head?"_

"No, but the airbag hurt when it went off. I'm just a little bit freaked out, Boss. Honestly, I don't think I'm thinking very clearly, but it's probably not because I hit my head."

He heard a chuckle.

"_Okay. You do need to call 911 so they can trace your call. We can't do that from here. I thought we'd lose our cell service with this storm."_

"Well, should I hang up, Boss?"

"_Probably. Call 911, let them trace where you are and then call me back."_

"Okay. I'll do that."

"_Hang up the phone, McGee."_

Tim laughed nervously.

"Is it okay that I'm kind of scared right now?"

"_Yeah, it is. Just stay calm. If you don't call back in ten minutes, we'll find you."_

That was amazingly comforting, knowing that he wouldn't be left where he was if something went wrong.

"_We'll be waiting with baited breath, Probie!"_

Tim smiled again. Tony being normal.

"Okay. Ten minutes."

Tim hung up and then dialed 911.

"_911 Emergency. What's the problem?"_

"Hi...uh...I'm stuck in my car. A tree fell on it and there's a power line on it. I'm pretty sure my car is charged."

The wind suddenly increased substantially, whistling through the car. The rain began to pour into the car. What little of Tim had been dry was now soaked. There was a creak and then a crack and Tim jumped when a tree fell to the ground just outside of his car.

"And...uh...there are trees falling around here."

"_...–ir, could you repeat, please?"_

Tim felt a curl of dread. The signal was breaking up, probably because of that wind and the falling trees.

"I'm stuck in my car! There's a live power line on it! I can't get out!"

"_...–n't he–...–ation?"_

"I can't hear you!" Tim shouted.

Another creak. Another crack.

...and another tree fell. This time, however, he couldn't see it. He just heard it crash in the forest beyond his view. That wind was more likely to kill him at this point than the power line was.

"Hello?" he said into the phone.

Only static. The wind still roared around him and he heard more than one tree fall in the midst of the roar.

He hung up the phone. He could try again later. He tried calling Gibbs, but it wouldn't even connect. The problem was on his end, apparently. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After a few minutes, the wind calmed down, and the rain eased, although neither stopped completely.

"Okay. I think they heard part of it. Gibbs said he'd come looking if I didn't call back. It's okay. It's okay, Tim. You don't need to panic. Not yet, anyway."

Tim took a deep breath and let it out. He looked around himself. He was pretty isolated here. Smart people weren't driving this evening. He supposed he should be grateful that none of the other trees had fallen on the car. He was more than a little nervous, but if he was careful and smart about things, he'd get through it all right. Someone would find him and help him out.

He tried to call again, but there was nothing.

He shivered a little. It was rather chilly, but not overly cold; so he could deal with that, too. He needed something to distract him, something that would keep him calm until help arrived. He was sure it would, soon.

"This is the first time I've ever been stuck in an electrified car," he said aloud and laughed shakily.

He'd had a lot of new experiences since being part of NCIS. He had his first jock friend. ...or rather his first jock friend who hadn't dropped him like a hot potato once it became clear that he was an uber nerd. Sometimes, Tim still couldn't understand why it was that he and Tony were friends. It was of necessity sometimes because they worked together so much that Tim would more than likely tear his hair out if he didn't think of Tony as the often-annoying friend. Actually, over the years, that forced friendship had made him less embarrassed about the things he enjoyed. He had been thrilled about getting his old computers from home. He had "attended" the cyber wedding of one of his gaming buddies. And Tony had razzed him about it but for some reason, it didn't matter anymore. That didn't mean that Tony didn't drive him crazy. Often. But it was actually okay...most of the time.

He shivered a little more and pulled out his phone. He dialed 911 first and then Gibbs again. Nothing. That more than likely meant that the cell tower in his area was down...or that there was some interference. Could a downed power line interfere with cell reception? Tim didn't know that much.

...but he didn't want to think too much about that. He cast about for something else to think about.

And then, he thought of the other people he interacted with every day. He thought about Kate. She had been at once a woman who had attracted him and, in some situations, almost an older sister role. As the older of two kids, Tim had never experienced siblings who would play the role he did for Sarah. Kate hadn't _really_ done that. She was too professional for that, but she had been there and had her moments when she'd let down her guard with him. He still regretted that she had died. It didn't seem fair and was so pointless.

The wind picked up again, but not like it had before. Tim shivered a little again.

He deliberately started think about Ziva. Kate's replacement. He had been willing to give her a chance and it had been fun to get to know her, even if it had been hard sometimes. Ziva was so different from Kate and sometimes, she actually scared him, but watching her change over the years...soften (although he'd never say that to her...she'd probably kill him), it had actually been interesting. While Kate had been almost a sister, Ziva never had been. She had been a friend, and it was nice having a friend. Her appearances and disappearances had been hard to deal with because he had never been sure if he'd see her again.

Thunder rumbled overhead and the rain picked up again.

"Oh, come on!" Tim shouted. "Isn't it time for this storm to get over? How much rain can fall at one time? Come on!"

He took a breath and shook his head, trying to master his frustration. How long would he have to wait for someone to find him? He checked his phone and found that there was no service. Still. He wanted throw it in frustration, but he figured that wouldn't help him at all. And maybe service would come back up soon.

"Okay. I can't change anything by yelling," Tim said to himself. "Think about something else."

While he was thinking about the people he knew, he figured he might as well keep moving through the NCIS people. It was a distraction from his rather unpleasant situation.

Gibbs. Just thinking about his boss made him smile with a bit of chagrin. There were still times when he wondered if Gibbs merely tolerated his existence or actually valued him. It was that _look_ he would get on his face, as if whatever Tim had said was so ridiculous as to be laughable...except that Gibbs didn't laugh. Almost ever. If someone had asked him what his ideal boss would be like when he was in high school, Gibbs' traits would not have come high on his list. No patience for technology. Assumptions that whatever explanations being given are extraneous. Headslaps. Oh, the headslaps. And that never-ending expectation that his agents read his mind so that he didn't have to talk at all. And yet, Tim had found that, with a few exceptions, Gibbs was a great person to work for. There were things he didn't agree with, but as long as he didn't pay attention to those...

And the best thing of all, he knew that Gibbs, Tony and Ziva would find him eventually. He knew that because Gibbs had said so, and when Gibbs talked like that, he didn't lie. Since Tim also knew that his situation, while serious, didn't have to be life-threatening, he could wait here for help to arrive.

He did wish that he could avoid being scared about it, but that was asking a bit too much.

The rain eased off, although it didn't stop completely. Tim knew that, if his car had caught on fire, there were ways of getting out of the car in relative safety, but those methods were risky and the only reason they were talked about was because being in a burning car was definitely fatal and jumping out of an electrified car was only _possibly_ fatal. The safest thing for him to do was sit here, even though he was cold, even though he hated being in here. At least he knew he'd be safe from any wild animals that might cause him harm. If he couldn't get out of the car, they'd have a hard time getting in, too.

Abby. She was a whole other situation all on her own. With their on-again-off-again relationship, Tim usually felt confused about her. Right now, they were just friends and that was a lot easier to deal with. He could just imagine what Abby would do if she knew where he was. She'd freak out. Tim decided that he was glad she wasn't here. She'd probably try to figure out some way to get him out without waiting and he just wasn't willing to do that. Still, the thought of it did make him smile.

A huge gust of wind roared through the car, shook it a little and then the wind died down.

Tim sighed in irritation.

"You can stop any time, now!" he called out. "Just because I'm a captive audience to your little performance doesn't mean you have to show off!"

No reply.

Thank goodness.

Tim spared a thought to wonder what Ducky would think of his shouting at Mother Nature. He actually managed to laugh about it. There was so much that Ducky knew and he had a story to illustrate every lesson he'd learned. It was interesting to hear him relate the stories, but Tim could admit that, sometimes, he let his mind wander. Tim realized suddenly that he'd never really asked Ducky why he had chosen to come to the U.S. and work for NCIS of all places. He'd have to rectify that. Sometimes, it was just easier to think of the world as always being the way it was without wondering how it got there.

Like Jimmy...only, Tim knew that Jimmy had been hired on part time after Gerald got shot by Ari. Jimmy was someone who was mostly there and yet when he wasn't, it was easy to forget him...which was strange because Jimmy himself was not really a forgettable person. He was unique. He was happy in his uniqueness, and Tim couldn't fault him for that.

Time kept passing, and Tim started to feel tired. He was surprised at that. He was still very anxious about the fact that he was stuck inside an electrified car...but the adrenaline was wearing off now, and he was tired.

As the time continued to pass, he started to drift off. His head dropped and then he jerked awake, his heart pounding again. He calmed himself down and then drooped again. Jerked awake again. Finally, his head fell back against the seat and he fell asleep.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"McGee!"

Funny. That sounded like Tony.

"McGee! Are you dead?"

Yeah, it really sounded like Tony.

"McGee!"

Tim pulled himself out of a thick sleep. He was shivering a little bit. He was cold, and it was still dark. For a minute, he couldn't think of where he was.

"McGee!"

"Tony?"

A flashlight in his eyes. He lifted his hand and could finally see what was going on.

"McGee!"

"Ziva." He was really happy to see the team, but then, he remembered that he was in a car that could kill them if they got too close. "Stay back!"

"Why?" Tony asked.

"The power line on the car. It's live and you don't have to be touching the car to get electrocuted," Tim said. "If you get too close...I don't want you guys getting killed. I'm okay."

"Okay? You're in an electric car and you think you're okay?" Tony asked.

Tim didn't need the reminder. At the mention, his stomach clenched.

"It's like a Faraday cage," Tim said, starting to babble. "That's a cage built of material that conducts electricity. You have an electric current running through the material and that cancels the charge inside, but if anyone interrupts that from the outside, they'll be electrocuted. I'm safe in here. You're not safe out there."

"Okay, Tim, calm down," Gibbs said. "We called the police and they'll get the electricity people out here now that we know where you are. How far away do we need to stay?"

"With how wet everything is...I'd stay back. Far," Tim said. "Until the power's off."

"Are you sure it is on?" Ziva asked. "I do not see any sparks or anything."

"It doesn't have to be sparking to be live, and I saw a definite spark before. It was live at one point and I'd rather be wrong about it being live than wrong about it being dead."

"Good point, McGee," Tony said. "You know...you're way off course, McGee."

"What do you mean?"

"We were driving up and down the road to the town and you were nowhere to be seen," Ziva said. "You are on a road that is not even marked!"

"The rain was really bad. I couldn't see."

"How are you feeling, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

Tim forced a smile. "Charged."

Tony laughed.

"Any injuries, McGee?" Ziva asked. "The front of the car looks very bad."

"Just the airbag-given black eye, I'm sure I have."

Lights flashed in his eyes again.

"Try two black eyes," Tony said.

"Great."

Tim was glad they were there because they kept distracting him from his worry.

"We don't have any service here," Gibbs said. "We need to get service back out on the main road."

"You're leaving?" Tim asked before he could censor the plaintive tone.

Another light on his face.

"I will stay," Ziva said. "You will not be alone here."

"Thanks, Ziva. Just don't get too close."

"I will not. I will stay here."

"What time is it?" Tim asked.

"About three in the morning. We'll be back in a few minutes," Tony said. "Promise, Probie."

"Okay."

Then, Ziva was left. Tim could see her flashlight a fair distance away. She almost had to shout.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you are all right?"

"Fine," Tim said. "I lucked out. I'm a little cold, but I'm fine."

"You sound worried."

"I am," Tim admitted. "Actually, I'm terrified."

"You are doing a good job of hiding it."

"Thanks. I almost got out of the car, Ziva. I hadn't seen the power line. I was going to get out to check on the damage and...if I had..."

"I see," Ziva said.

"I happened to see a spark as the pole shifted and that clued me in. If I hadn't seen that..."

"But you did."

"If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here telling you about it. I'd be dead."

"Then, I am glad you noticed."

"Me, too."

There was some silence and then the flashlight moved up into his face again.

"You will be fine, Tim."

"I'm fine now," Tim said.

"You are shaking."

"I'm a little cold."

"You will be fine."

Tim smiled.

"I'm okay with you repeating that a few times, Ziva."

"Good. I will do so."

Another period of silence.

"Ziva?"

"Yes?"

"Could you move the flashlight out of my eyes?"

"Oh. Yes. I am sorry."

"No problem."

Silence again until Gibbs and Tony arrived. Before they got out of the car, Ziva flashed Tim in the eyes again.

"You will be fine, Tim."

"Thanks, Ziva."

"McGee, they're going to turn off the power this section of the power line and then it will be safe to get out," Gibbs said.

Tim nodded. "Okay."

It was silent until finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, a truck pulled up from the power company. They seemed to be bustling around from what little Tim could see, and then, there were emergency lights that Tim could see. He wanted to know when he could get out of the car.

Finally. Finally. Finally. Someone came up close to the car.

"Agent McGee, the power is off. You can get out now."

Tim took a deep breath. He was genuinely afraid of doing what they wanted him to do now. Before he had a chance to express any uncertainty, the door was pulled open and a hand extended to pull him out.

"Come on."

Tim looked through the darkness and saw that it was Gibbs. He took Gibbs' hand and was out of his cage.

He stumbled.

"My legs are cramped," he said.

Gibbs put an arm around Tim's waist and supported him as he staggered away from the car and to the rest of the team...but he didn't get to stop there. Gibbs led him to an ambulance.

"I'm not hurt, Boss," Tim said. "I'm fine."

"Good. Then, you can let them check you over and it won't take long."

Tim sat down and let the EMT check him out. He put a heat blanket around Tim's shoulders.

"Your temperature is a little low, Agent McGee."

"It was cold," Tim said. "I didn't dare fiddle with anything."

"Probably a good idea. That power line _was_ live."

"Yeah."

"Well, you're looking all right, all things considered. I don't see any reason to make you go to the hospital. If you start getting problems with your vision or persistent headaches, make sure you get that checked out. Otherwise, I'll let you go with your friends and a good night's sleep will probably be best for you."

Tim nodded, but now that he was free of his prison, he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep at all. But he got up and walked back to Gibbs.

"I'm fine," he said. "Where to now?"

"Back to our hotel rooms. We all need some sleep."

They piled into the car and headed back to the small town where they had been investigating. When they got there, Tim went into the room that had been reserved for him. He sat down on the bed...and started to shake. It was one thing to recognize that he had been okay inside the car so long as he wasn't stupid. It was quite another to think about how close he'd come to dying. He just breathed deeply.

There was a soft knock on the door. He walked over and opened it.

"Ziva," he said in surprise. "I thought you'd be asleep."

She smiled.

"I did not think you would be."

Then, before Tim could ask her what she wanted, she hugged him. It felt so nice that he hugged her back.

"I am glad you are safe now."

"Thanks, Ziva," he whispered.

Then, she kissed him on the cheek and walked to her own room. Tim walked back to his bed and sat down. He kicked off his shoes, shed his jacket, climbed into bed and lay there for a few minutes.

And then, he fell asleep, knowing that he was safe.

They had all come through for him as he had known they would.

He was safe.

FINIS!


End file.
